PHUKETWAN recognises the importance of Asean with the Economic Community approaching and marks what's happening around the region with a new column, Asean Today.



PTI Two Indian warships, INS Satpura and INS Shakti, sailed into Thailand's Sattahip port to strengthen bilateral maritime cooperation and in pursuant of India's 'Act East' policy.



wsj.com Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently sent his country's special forces into Burma to attack two militant camps, in retaliation for a series of deadly ambushes on Indian soil. Given reports that the militants' activities have been secretly supported by Beijing, we may be witnessing not just an Indian antiterrorism campaign but the start of a proxy war between India and China.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/battleground-burma-1435071487



channelnewsasia.com Malaysia's Court of Appeal ordered the release of a set of Christian CDs - confiscated because they contained the word ''Allah'' - to a Christian woman. The Court of Appeal agreed with a High Court ruling ordering the return of the CDs to Jill Ireland, and directed the Attorney-General's office to see to the return of the CDs to her within one month of the decision.



skift.com Indonesia will focus on Bali and islands near Singapore rather than developing more remote spots in the world's largest archipelago, as it seeks to double tourist numbers by 2020. The government's marketing budget has been increased fourfold to 1 trillion rupiah ($75 million) this year, a sign of President Joko Widodo's commitment to the industry.



nytimes.com A Singapore court ruled that teenage blogger Amos Yee, who was convicted of obscenity and insulting religious feelings after he posted a video criticising the late leader Lee Kuan Yew, should be held for two weeks pending a psychiatric examination.

straitstimes.com A SilkAir plane was forced to make a diversion and land in Haikou due to a typhoon that made landfall on the southern island of Hainan.



dailymail.co.uk A British man has been arrested in Cambodia after narcotics police raided him home and found a huge stash of illegal drugs. Charles Emery, 48, has been held on suspicion of drug dealing after officers found hundreds of pills of amphetamines and 12.3 grams of crystal meth at his home in Sihanoukville.



ttgdigital.com Vietnam has lifted its visa requirements for UK citizens, effective from July 1. Brits will no longer need to apply for a visa when entering the country, provided that they are staying for 15 days or less.



AP A tiny military exercise in the Philippines this week may presage something much bigger: the entry of Japan into the tussle for control of the South China Sea. A Japanese surveillance plane and about 20 troops conducted the first of two days of joint training with the Philippine navy.



nationmultimedia.com The Third meeting of Cambodian, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam Tourism Ministers will be conducted on July 28 in Myanmar while Vietnam's offer to host the next, eighth annual CLMV summit has been accepted but the specific date and venue has yet to be specified.